Fancy gown get-togethers have already been common inside the United kingdom http://www.costumecorner.ie/women/animals/wild-cat for a few years, and possess progressed within the usual Halloween type costume functions in Oct, dressing up as witches and vampires, skeletons and other ghoulish figures, to functions now themed around nationwide days (for instance St Patricks Day), Xmas events, themed birthday parties (well-liked birthday party themes staying pimps and hoes, gangsters & flappers) and hen / stag evenings.

Although fancy gown is more commonly referenced right back to the 15th Century in Italy, where grand masquerade balls were held, the origins of extravagant dress in the UK is typically traced back to the 18th Century period, but our modern day themes were introduced by both the Victorians and the Edwardians who loved to celebrate in a range of fancy gown costumes and accessories. Most events were very elaborate affairs on a very grand scale, with only those invited of a high social standing during these periods.

Since then, fancy dress costume get-togethers are on the increase really since the 1940's in the UK, in a simpler form compared to today, until the 1970's. This could be coupled to the increase of film/television programmes becoming aired throughout the country, resulting in improved imagination and better manufacturing processes opening a new era in the costume industry.

It wasn't until the 1990's that the purchasing of costumes in the UK became commonplace. Prior to this, extravagant costume costumes were typically hired for a social or recreational event, and returned to the shop once worn. It's now hard to find lots of retail fancy costume shops in local towns, or ones that offer a full range you would expect from a fancy costume retailer, especially since the internet provided home shopping access, no matter where you lived. This meant that fancy costume shops could operate online, have access to a much wider audience and also be able to carry a fuller range of costumes and accessories without having to worry about expensive retail premises or shop fronts. There are still some companies who offer mail hire costume ordering, but purchasing of costumes has now become the standard.

After the late 90's, retro fashion styles became very preferred, with the introduction of 60s, 70s and 80s extravagant gown costumes, which clearly mock our fashion sense from these era's.

Extravagant dress doesn't have to be expensive either. You can purchase complete outfits to dress as your favourite film/cartoon/movie character, or pick up instant accessory kits which can be used with your casual clothing. These instant costume kits can range from Vicars, Nuns, Cops, Maids, Pimps and typically include an accessory kit, badge, hat, overcoat or other themed accessory to complete your fancy costume outfit. Of course, for those who really want to set tongues wagging at your next costume get together can go all out and purchase a limited edition costume, some of which retail in excess of 500!

The busiest and most celebrated fancy dress get-togethers all happen all over Halloween and are celebrated on or just before the 31st October. The name Halloween is derived in the feast of All Hallows which is celebrated on the 1st November to honour the saints, and the end of the harvest in Gaelic culture.

Halloween has a lot of traditions, which range from trick or treating, the making of bonfires, scaring people, carving jack-o-lanterns, apple bobbing, watching scary films, visiting haunted attractions, pranks and general ghoulish behaviour. Of course, many people now celebrate by having parties inviting everyone to wear Halloween costumes.

Halloween is also known as Samhain, which in other traditions marks the end of the third and final harvest, and is a day to commune with and remember the dead, and is a celebration of the eternal cycle of reincarnation. Samhain is mostly followed by the Wiccan and quite a few Pagan religions.

In European traditions, Halloween is the night when the old god dies, and the crone goddess mourns him deeply for the next six weeks. The popular image of her as the old Halloween hag stirring her cauldron comes with the Celtic belief that all dead souls return to her cauldron of life, and are reborn.

Fancy gown get-togethers and costumes are all about having fun. It's a great way to celebrate any social occasion, and there will always be more costumes available every year, with the release of every new movie blockbuster or scary film. This year's examples have already been the re-introduction of Freddy Krueger's latest adventure on the big screen, Avatar, Alice in Wonderland and Iron Man 2.